`DatePicker`

Often in user interfaces a date selection is needed to provide a scheduling function. In WPF, we can use the DatePicker to present a calendar pop-up window.

Please create a new WPF project and drag a DatePicker control to the window. Next, we add a useful event handler to our control: SelectedDateChanged.

Example

Type "SelectedDateChanged" and Visual Studio will insert the C# event handler. Here we access the sender object (the DatePicker) and its SelectedDate property.

Info SelectedDate returns a nullable DateTime instance. When null, no date is selected.

And If the nullable DateTime is not null, we use it in the same way as any other DateTime struct.

Tip We invoke ToShortDateString on the returned DateTime—it contains no time information, only a date.

<Window x:Class="WpfApplication12.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
    <Grid>
        <DatePicker HorizontalAlignment="Left"
                    Margin="10,10,0,0"
                    VerticalAlignment="Top"
                    SelectedDateChanged="DatePicker_SelectedDateChanged"/>
    </Grid>
</Window>using System;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;

namespace WpfApplication12
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
    /// </summary>
    public partial class MainWindow : Window
    {
        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void DatePicker_SelectedDateChanged(object sender,
            SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
        {
            // ... Get DatePicker reference.
            var picker = sender as DatePicker;

            // ... Get nullable DateTime from SelectedDate.
            DateTime? date = picker.SelectedDate;
            if (date == null)
            {
                // ... A null object.
                this.Title = "No date";
            }
            else
            {
                // ... No need to display the time.
                this.Title = date.Value.ToShortDateString();
            }
        }
    }
}

`Calendar`

There exists a Calendar control, which is the same as DatePicker but involves no pop-up window. A DatePicker can save space and improve the interface.

There are many ways to accept input dates—a program could even parse a TextBox. But in cases where a date selection is needed, a DatePicker is worth consideration.